Whom the Gods Would Destroy
by Valentina31
Summary: It's been 3 years since the Narada. Kirk & Spock have built a friendship that could be so much more. Until Loki, god of mischief, shows up and tries to ruin everything. Star Trek Reboot/Avengers crossover. Eventual Kirk/Spock and possible Frostiron. Brief references to past Spock/Uhura and allusions to Kirk/girl!Loki. Rated M to be safe m/m, language . Reviews are welcome!
1. Chapter 1

_**Aboard the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701, Constitution Class:**_

As soon as he lets go of the white knight, Kirk realizes what a stupid move it was. Damn.

Spock lifts a solitary eyebrow and captures the piece with his black queen. "Your mind is not on the game tonight, Captain."

Kirk sighs. "No, Mr. Spock, not entirely." In fact, images of the mission that he had privately labeled as _The Day of the Dove_ were bouncing wildly through his brain. The images were decidedly unpleasant: Klingons on the _Enterprise_ fighting Starfleet officers with knives and swords, his youngest officer about to eviscerate the wife and first officer of the Klingon captain, a wispy apparition feeding off of their madness and aggression.

"You are troubled by the events of our last mission," Spock stated, almost as if he could read his mind.

"Not very logical, is it, Mr. Spock?"

Spock tilted his head a few degrees to the right. Kirk smiled internally at the gesture, Spock's very own variation of a human shrug. "Not logical, but nevertheless true."

"It's not easy to face exactly what we are capable of, what we so carefully suppress," Kirk said with a pained smile. "That alien, that…. spirit of chaos, would have had us and Kang's men tear ourselves to shreds. With medieval weapons, no less."

Spock nodded. "All species have the capacity for good and for evil in equal measures, captain."

Kirk shuddered. "Don't I know it, Mr. Spock," he exclaimed, painfully remembering the time two years prior when he himself had been literally split into his two halves.

"Our choice to favor one over the other," Spock continued, "truly makes us what we are."

Kirk gave Spock a genuine smile, warmed that the proudly logical Vulcan seemed to be trying to comfort him. They had certainly come a long way since the strangling incident on the bridge during the _Narada_ crisis. "Thank you, Spock. You are, of course, correct." He pointed to the chessboard and said, "I guess we better leave this game for another time?"

"Indeed, Captain," Spock replied as he rose from his seat and moved to exit the Captain's quarters. "I also need to finalize some of the arrangements for the incoming transfers."

Kirk followed him to the door. "Of course, Mr. Spock. How many transfers are we getting at Starbase 9? About a half dozen?"

"That is correct, Captain. Three for the engineering division, two for security, and one for the science division."

"Very well, Mr. Spock. Good night."

Spock stepped through the door when it slid open. Before he walked away, he turned to Kirk and said, "Good night… _Jim_." The door slid shut behind him.

Kirk couldn't suppress an enormous grin.

_**Meanwhile, in Asgard: **_

Loki chuckled to himself. Were they _ever_ going to learn that a normal prison cell would not contain him? It was almost insulting how much they underestimated his magic. With a flourish of his hand he simultaneously teleported himself out of the tiny Asgardian prison cell and created a shadow copy of himself to take his place.

Loki found himself wandering the halls of the palace library, his favorite place in all of Asgard. This had been his favorite hiding place as a child, when he had tired of failing to keep up with the hunting and the sparring and the altogether uncivilized yet favored activities of his older brother and his oafish friends. It was in this quiet place where he had first started to learn magic, where he had first started to sharpen his intellect and wit.

He wandered the familiar aisles leisurely. It would be some time before anyone noticed that the Loki in the cell was but a shadow form. Longer still before anyone discovered his actual location. He ran his fingers over the spines of the ancient books and even more ancient scrolls, stopped to gaze upon the busts of old heroes and old kings, ancestors to Odin All-father himself.

In a secluded section he came upon a curious object, cubic and glowing like the Tesseract he had stolen from the fools at S.H.I.E.L.D. not too long ago. Unlike the Tesseract, this object was glowing with a golden light and images swam when one looked upon its depths. Loki frowned. He prided himself in knowing the secrets of the palace library like the back of his hand, but he had never come across this cube before. Was it a new trophy recently acquired by the All-father? He stared into it for a long time, watching various scenes unfold before his eyes: battles, voyages, people talking in whispers.

He was about to move away from the golden cube when an image of his brother caught his eye. He snarled an insult about the Asgardian golden child and continued watching the experiences of Thor when he had been exiled to New Mexico. He watched with a twisted grin as Thor kissed that wretched Midgardian female, Jane Foster.

Was this cube a device to store memories?

But no, that could not be right. Some of the previous images had shown scenarios completely foreign to Loki, images of what appeared to be Midgardians with technology far superior to what even the Man of Iron or the brutish green abomination could imagine possible. Some images even showed Midgardians aboard ships that were used to navigate through the stars.

He almost missed the image of his brother, a faint picture in a corner of the cube. Thor looked leaner. Weaker. With shorter hair and lacking a beard. There. At the helm of one of those starships…

In a flash Loki understood. It was a portal. Not just a portal through space, but also one capable of sending him anywhere in time.

Loki could barely contain his glee.

Focusing on a particularly _interesting_ set of images in the cube, Loki snapped his fingers and teleported inside.

_**Back on the Enterprise:**_

As was Captain Kirk's habit, he was present in the transporter room when the new transfers beamed aboard. He made it a point to greet each one personally, determined to remember their names. If he was going to send anyone under his command into a dangerous situation, possibly even to an untimely death, he could at least learn to match a name to a face. Commander Spock, as always, stood dutifully beside him.

Remembering how the stern commander had called him _Jim_ the previous evening, Kirk smiled to himself. It had taken three years, but Spock had finally, finally, _finally_ called him by his first name. Kirk could begin to see truth in the words of the older Spock, Ambassador Spock from a different universe. He could see how this, how he and Commander Spock, could be a legendary friendship. Turning to Spock, Kirk asked, "Care to finish where we left off on that that chess game after this, Mr. Spock?"

"That would be agreeable, Captain," Spock replied, the hint of a Spockian not-smile tugging at his lips.

Kirk beamed at him before he turned to welcome the new faces.

When he came to the last of the transfers, Kirk almost did a comical double take. The science transfer was a strikingly beautiful woman. Her long black hair was a pleasing contrast to the pallor of her complexion. She was also impossibly tall… decidedly taller than him, Kirk winced internally. But the lieutenant's most striking attribute were her big, emerald green eyes. They were almost hypnotic, really.

Kirk cleared his throat. "Pleasure to have you aboard, Lieutenant…"

She smiled, showing a row of perfectly white teeth. "I am Looo..ri. Lieutenant Lori Laufeyson," she said. "It truly is an honor to be assigned to your ship, Captain Kirk. I've heard and read _so_ much about you and this… _magnificent_ vessel."

"Yes," Kirk laughed, "the _Enterprise_ certainly is a magnificent lady." He stared into Lieutenant Laufeyson's eyes and added, much to his own shock, "Would you like a tour, Lieutenant?"

Lieutenant Laufeyson laughed. _Musically_, no less. "Why, Captain Kirk, that would be delightful."

Kirk and the stunning Lieutenant left the transporter room, leaving Spock and the other transfers without so much as another word.

Spock of Vulcan did _not_ feel anything. Least of all disappointment.


	2. Chapter 2

_**In Asgard:**_

Thor stared aghast into the cube of light in the palace library. Next to it was a note, undeniably in his brother's handwriting:

_Mischief and lies, in another place and in another time._

_Find me… if you can, Odinson._

"Brother. What have you done?"

_**Aboard the USS Enterprise:**_

Kirk didn't know how, but a couple of hours later he found himself in his quarters _with Lieutenant Laufeyson_.It wasn't strictly against regulation, but it was still a huge breach in protocol. Despite his reputation as a womanizer, one that had frustratingly followed him since his Academy days, Kirk had always kept his hands off his crew. Fraternization could lead to messy situations, and he wanted to keep the running of his ship as smooth as possible. Which is why he found himself shaking his head, not fully understanding _why_ he had decided that showing Lieutenant Laufeyson his quarters would be a good idea. It simply couldn't _look _good. And yet, when he looked into Lieutenant Laufeyson's brilliant green eyes, he just… couldn't help himself.

Lieutenant Laufeyson was walking around the room, looking for all the world like she ruled the place. Her confidence, Kirk had to admit to himself, was part of what made her so alluring. She picked up and examined various articles displayed around his quarters, mementos from different missions and planets that the _Enterprise _had visited in the past three years. She emitted a hum of surprise when she came to Kirk's bookshelf, boasting a small but impressive collection of paper books. Her fingertips immediately reached out to reverently stroke their spines.

"A book collector, Captain? In this age of starships?

"Yeah, it's a bit strange, I know. I can't help but be drawn to them."

She gave him a small smile. "There's nothing like feeling the old, crumbling pages of knowledge beneath your fingertips."

"I couldn't agree more, Lieutenant," Kirk smiled.

"Please, Captain. Call me Lori. We are, after all, not on duty."

Huge breach of protocol, Kirk thought. He really should stop this… But, despite himself, he heard his own voice say, "Certainly, Lori… As long as you call me Jim."

Lori smiled, perfect white teeth flashing. "Jim."

"I have more books back on Earth. I only brought my very favorites aboard with me on the Enterprise."

Lori turned to the books again, reading the titles on the spines. One in particular caught her eye. "I see that the Norse myths are included among your favorites, Jim."

Kirk beamed. "Of course! As a boy I would read those stories over and over. I never could get quite enough of the tales of mighty gods and heroes."

Lori pulled the book out of the shelf and started to leaf through it. The illustrations in the book were very beautiful, if a little inaccurate.

Jim continued to talk enthusiastically. "Thor, in particular, was my favorite."

Lori's grip on the book tightened. She would have torn it in half had she not caught herself on time.

With a grim smile she found herself saying bitterly, "Of course _Thor_, god of thunder and lighting. Golden child of Asgard. What was Loki but a poor shadow next to the glory of Odin's firstborn?"

Kirk was pleasantly surprised. Not very many people, especially not those who had dedicated themselves to the science track, had much knowledge of the myths of Earth's past. He chuckled. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. Loki was probably the brightest of all. Whatever deeds of mischief he carried out must have been fueled by sheer boredom."

Lori laughed. "Well, he certainly had to design some inventive way to entertain himself. Everyone else was just so… _dull_."

Their shared laughter was interrupted by a beep at the captain's quarters.

"Come," Kirk called out.

In walked Commander Spock, gripping a PADD tightly in his hand. Lips pressed so thinly that they formed a perfect line. Kirk's stomach dropped, a feeling of guilt coursing through him. _He had forgotten all about Spock._ "Mr. Spock!" He exclaimed. "Uh… Good of you to drop by."

Spock looked expressionlessly at Kirk. "Good evening, Captain. Lieutenant Laufeyson."

Lieutenant Laufeyson's flashed Spock a bright smile. "Commander Spock, good evening," she said as she extended her hand to him.

Spock stared pointedly at it.

"Ah, Lieutenant," Kirk began awkwardly, "As a Vulcan, Commander Spock prefers not to be touched. You know, touch telepathy..."

Lieutenant Laufeyson's expression was, for a nanosecond, the very picture of alarm. Just as quickly, it was replaced with a wide-eyed look of embarrassment. "Oh, of course, Commander. My apologies. I was simply…" She gives him another smile full of teeth, "Star-struck? Your reputation precedes you. Please accept my apologies."

Spock lifted his eyebrow. "Apologies are illogical, Lieutenant."

Despite his Vulcan upbringing, Commander Spock was still knowledgeable enough in human expression to recognize the fleeting flash of cold fury that danced across Lieutenant Laufeyson's green eyes. "Illogical indeed, Commander."

_Fascinating._ Spock mentally filed away Lieutenant Laufeyson's reaction for future examination and turned to Captain Kirk, "Captain, I apologize for the interruption, but the lieutenant and I must still discuss her duties aboard the _Enterprise,_" he began. Turning back to Lori Laufeyson, he said, "Maybe we can discuss them as I show you to your quarters, Lieutenant?"

Lieutenant Laufeyson smiled sweetly at Spock. "Very well, Commander. Lead the way." To the captain, she said, "Good evening, _Jim_. Thank you for the tour and the pleasant conversation."

"Good evening, Lori."

Lori's brilliant smile was partially fueled by the way Commander Spock stiffened at their cavalier use of first names. _Ah. Something there to exploit, no? Just for a bit of fun._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Aboard the USS Enterprise:**_

"Thank you for walking me to my quarters, Commander," Lieutenant Laufeyson said to the First Officer of the _Enterprise_ with a sweet smile as the door to said quarters slid open.

"Thanks are illogical, Lieutenant."

"Ah… of course. You mentioned that earlier," she replied with a smirk. "Until 0800, Commander."

Mr. Spock's only response was a simple nod.

"Insufferable creature," Lori Laufeyson muttered under her breath as she watched Commander Spock walk away.

Once in the privacy of the rather spartan Starfleet quarters, Lieutenant Lori Laufeyson's exceedingly short blue science uniform disappeared into thin air, leaving her naked in the middle of the room. Soon, her petite shoulders broadened and her generous curves transformed into planes of lean and battle-scarred musculature. The long black hair that had trailed down to her hips shortened enough so that it just curled above the shoulders. As quickly as the Starfleet uniform had vanished, a suit of well-worn leather and metal plate appeared. Loki the Trickster breathed a sigh of relief to be back in _his _true form.

Loki walked to the computer on the desk. Its design remained much unchanged from the 21st century technology he had seen in Midgard. Same monitor, same manual input. But, according to his observations during his tour of the ship with Kirk, these computers also responded to voice command, much like Stark's AI computer program.

"Computer, list all species represented by the crew of the Enterprise," Loki demanded in an imperious tone.

After a few moments, the computer responded in a flat, metallic female voice: "The crew of the _USS Enterprise _is composed of four hundred and forty four humans, three Andorians, three Denobulans, one Orion, and one Vulcan."

"Do the non-human species serving aboard the _Enterprise_ possess strength far greater than that of the average human?" Loki asked with a shudder, remembering his rather _disastrous_ encounter with the miserable Midgardian freak they called the Hulk.

"The physical strength of Andorians and Vulcans is proportional to the gravity of their planets, respectively twice and thrice that of Earth-normal," the computer supplied helpfully. _Good_, Loki thought. _Nothing he couldn't handle._

"List any telepathic or empathic crewmembers and provide details on their abilities," he instructed. Loki wanted to avoid incidents like the handshake _faux pas _that had almost occurred with Commander Spock earlier, lest his identity and true intentions be discovered before due time.

After a few moments, the computer listed only one name: Commander Spock of Vulcan, whose telepathy was powerful but limited to skin contact. Loki smirked. _No foreseeable complications then. Still… Better to be rid of the Vulcan somehow, and as soon as possible._

With that out of the way… "Computer, give me the names of the crewmembers principally responsible for engineering and helm."

"Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, Chief Engineer," the computer recited. "Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, senior Helmsman. Ensign Pavel Chekov, senior Navigator."

"List their current locations." The god of mischief had a plan, and there was no time to waste.

_**Meanwhile, in Asgard:**_

Odin All-father frowned at the news that his son and heir had just conveyed. "You are certain? Loki has used the continuum cube?"

"Yes, father," Thor replied, showing Odin the note that Loki had left next to the cube. "It will be difficult to locate him. He could be anywhere by now."

Odin sighed.

"We could try to determine his whereabouts from traces of his magic," Thor suggested.

Shaking his head, Odin said, "Such an endeavor would require too much time. No. I have a different thought."

"Father?"

"You well know that Loki's true nature is one of chaos and mischief. He will go where he can wreak the most havoc. I may know one particular point in time and space that would suit his taste for chaos," Odin declared, rising from his throne. Looking at Thor, he asked, "Would you, my son, be willing to travel to this point in the continuum? The journey is long."

"To bring my brother home? I would go anywhere, Father."

Odin nodded. "Good. Follow me."

_**Back on the Enterprise:**_

Kirk wanted to bang his head against the wall repeatedly. What exactly had he been thinking? Things had been going so well with Spock lately! Not only had Spock been spending time with Kirk for official things like going over crew evaluations and mission reports, but he had also started to eat meals together with him and had agreed to play chess on a regular basis. He had been warming up, letting his guard down, joking around in his own subtle Vulcan way. He had called him _Jim_. And Kirk had basically blown it by ditching Spock to hang out with some girl he barely knew.

Kirk thought about knocking on Spock's door to apologize… But what exactly would he apologize for? _Hi Spock, sorry that I hurt your allegedly non-existent Vulcan feelings? Sorry that I forgot about our game because I was chasing the pretty new girl?_ It sounded pathetic even to his own ears. In any case, Spock would probably tell him that apologies were illogical and would tell him to piss off in a most Vulcan and diplomatic manner.

He sighed. Maybe he should talk to Bones. Especially over some of that secret stash of Saurian brandy. Kirk smiled to himself. Yeah. That sounded like a plan.

Kirk made his way to sickbay, not encountering a single soul in the corridors. Gamma shift, the ship's equivalent of nighttime, was always so pleasantly quiet. But as Kirk approached Sickbay, he was surprised to hear voices carrying out into the corridor. Kirk became a little concerned. Had something happened? Had a crewmember become injured? But no. When Kirk peeked into sickbay, it was mercifully empty. Not a single crewman was lying on a bed and the usual bustle of the nurses was also non-existent. _Huh. Weird._

Venturing further in, he realized that the voices were coming from Bones' office. Multiple voices. And laughter. What the hell was going on?

"Bones?" He called out.

"Jim, m'boy," Bones replied merrily with a thick Georgia accent. _Was he drunk? _He certainly sounded drunk. Kirk would know. They had been roommates back at the Academy. "You read my mind! I was just 'bout to call your quarters."

When Kirk stepped into Bones' office, he was met with the sight of Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, Bones, _and Lori Laufeyson _sitting around the table in Bones' office, playing poker and passing around a bottle of Bones' finest brandy. _Interesting, _Kirk thought. Not that it was unusual for them to get together for a poker game and Saurian brandy once in awhile, especially so close to friendly territory and without any urgent missions. But something in Kirk's gut told him that there was something… off.

"Uh… hey guys, what's going on?"

"Keptin!" Young Chekov greeted him enthusiastically, "We are meeting Lieutenant Lori! She is _wery_ smart lady."

Lori gave one of her hypnotically musical laughs. "Why, Pavel, you are too kind."

"Aye, it's true, lassie," Scotty insisted. "Dunna know why y'are in the science department. You should'a gone into engineering, with yer knack fer formulas!"

Kirk's eyes met Lori's brilliant green eyes. "Hey Lori. See you've met most of my senior crew."

"Hi Jim," she answered, giving him a winning smile. "Won't you join us?" At the suggestion, Kirk's vision went a little bit fuzzy. Wow. Maybe he was really tired. He should probably go back to his quarters to sleep, but… One small game of poker couldn't hurt, could it? Kirk sat down at the table with the others.

"Lori here came to sickbay to get treated for a cut, as any responsible person, unlike some stubborn fools that have to be dragged here even when they are bleeding all over the place," he stared pointedly at Kirk.

Kirk rolled his eyes at him. "Geez Bones, you mother hen, I don't want to bother you only for a couple of scratches." Turning to Lori, he asked, "What happened?"

Lori shrugged and gave Jim a pretty smile. "I was clumsy. Cut my hand," she said as she held up a delicately bandaged hand.

"When Lori came in," Bones continued, "I was already treating Scotty for a plasma burn… These two got to talking about transwarp beaming and time travel and goodness knows what other crazy theories about alternative universes… I was beginning to feel a little left out; I'm a _doctor_, not a physicist."

_Wait… How would Lori know about transwarp beaming? As far as Kirk knew, the exact details and formulae had been classified after the Narada incident, _Kirk thought with some alarm, trying to fight the increasingly thick haze enveloping his thoughts. _Also, why the interest in time travel and alternate…_

But Bones' positively _enthusiastic_ voice interrupted Kirk's train of thought. "Anyway, I brought out the brandy that I've been saving for a special occasion, and well… we thought it would be a good idea to get Hikaru and Pavel to come down here to drink and play some poker. We were just about to call you to join, Jim."

It struck Kirk as bizarre was how very much _not_ like himself Bones sounded. A mildly goofy grin had even replaced the usual Bonesian scowl.

Both Chekov and Sulu merrily chimed in with some inane story about how they had been in the gym when Bones had called. Sulu had been teaching Chekov how to fence? Kirk could barely keep up with what they were saying… By now, his head was spinning dangerously and his vision was blurring.

When he momentarily managed to focus his eyes, his gaze fell upon Lori gifting Sulu with a flirtatious smile, which made something ugly and poisonous coil in the pit of his stomach. Before he realized what was happening, Kirk curled his hand into a fist and punched Hikaru Sulu, senior helmsman of the _Enterprise_, square on the nose.

And that's when all hell broke loose.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Aboard the USS Enterprise:**_

As soon as Commander Spock got back to his quarters, he knelt down on his meditation mat. Breathing in and out deeply a few times, Spock tried to clear his mind.

After a few minutes, he sighed in frustration, yet another appalling loss of control that day.

_Kaiidith_, Spock thought. If he could not clear his mind, he could at least try to analyze the turmoil of his thoughts.

For the next few minutes, Spock tried to focus on each incident, each loss of composure he had experienced throughout the day, in an effort to understand and to better control those emotional outbreaks in the future. First, Spock examined the half-smiles that Jim had elicited from him: two during alpha shift on the bridge and one in the transporter room, right before the new transfers had beamed aboard. Spock was forced to conclude that these half-smiles, expressions that would be scandalous on a full-blooded Vulcan while simultaneously underwhelming on a full-blooded human, had occurred with increasing frequency in Jim's presence. _Fascinating_, Spock thought.

Next, Spock decided to examine the hollow feeling that had settled in the pit of his stomach in the transporter room when he had seen Jim walk away with Lieutenant Lori Laufeyson. He tried to examine the feeling, to turn it over and hold it up to the light as he would a new specimen… But before long his focus faltered and his thoughts began to wander.

Unhelpfully, his mind wandered back to the evening precisely thirty-seven days into the _Enterprise's_ five-year mission when Nyota had announced that she was ending their romantic relationship. Her list of reasons for such a decision had been exhaustive and logical. If Spock were completely honest with himself, he had to admit that he had not been completely surprised. Nyota Uhura was an intelligent and ambitious career woman; although their relationship was not technically against Starfleet regulations, neither was it encouraged. She did not want her every achievement illogically scrutinized by jealous individuals simply for being romantically involved with a superior officer. No, Spock had not been surprised. But, if he continued to be honest with himself, her decision had caused in him a similar hollowness to the one that plagued him tonight.

To Spock's dismay, his mind next wandered to the uncomfortable episode that had been his Pon Farr. He recalled how the _Enterprise_ had received specific orders to attend a diplomatic summit on Altair VI as the Federation flagship at the same time as he had begun to succumb to the effects of the Pon Farr. In an effort to save his ailing First Officer from what McCoy had claimed was certain death, Jim had risked his career by defying Starfleet's orders and had diverted the ship to the New Vulcan colony so that Spock could meet his betrothed. He recalled his shock when T'Pring, in front of all the gathered guests, had declared Spock unworthy and had unceremoniously rejected him as her mate. He also remembered how in his weakened state, he had allowed himself to feel regret. Regret that he would die, and Jim would have risked his career for nothing. That he would die, and Jim…

Of course, regret had been quickly replaced by an overwhelming feeling of alarm when T'Pring had shockingly named Jim, his captain and his friend, as her champion. Spock would have to fight Jim, _Jim of all people_, for the hand of T'Pring. With great pains, using every bit of willpower left in him to fight the deepening haze of the blood fever, Spock had _begged_ the Vulcan Elders present at the _koon-ut-kal-if-fee_ to forbid such an atrocity from occurring… Spock couldn't fight Jim. They had to _forbid_… But the Elders had not relented.

Thankfully, the _kal-if-fee_ was no longer, as it had been on Vulcan in ages past, a fight to the death. After the _Narada _had destroyed their planet and made the Vulcan people an endangered species, the Council of Elders had altered the _kal-if-fee_ to avoid unnecessary fatalities. However, it was still a vicious fight.

Spock vaguely remembered how, in the throes of the blood fever, he had injured Jim quite badly. Spock recalled looking down at a bloodied, battered Jim, gasping for breath with an _ahn'woon_ tightly wrapped around his neck. Spock's horror and guilt at the sight of his injured captain, his injured _friend_, had been enough of a biochemical shock to disperse the effects of the Pon Farr.

After, when Spock's head had cleared enough to regain sufficient composure, he had confronted T'Pring. Why the challenge? Why Jim?

T'Pring's logic had been, as always, completely sound. She had explained that, after the _Narada_ had destroyed Vulcan-that-was, Vulcans had a duty to repopulate their now endangered species, and she could not risk being unable to fulfill this important duty by being bound to a highly likely sterile half-breed. As she did not want to injure her chosen mate, another Vulcan survivor by the name of Stonn, T'Pring had chosen the next available candidate: James Kirk.

Spock felt what remained of the red adrenaline haze of the blood fever dissipate into the thin atmosphere. In its place, a shameful mixture of emptiness and guilt began to spread through his veins. _Unworthy. Half-breed. A traitor to his Captain. A traitor to his friends. _

Without another word, Spock turned away from T'Pring and beamed back aboard the _Enterprise._

Jim had met Spock back on the _Enterprise_, all smiles after Doctor McCoy had expertly treated him for his injuries. When a guilt-ridden Spock had asked to be locked up in the bridge for assaulting a fellow officer, Jim had laughed and shaken his head fondly at Spock.

"No, Mr. Spock," Jim had said to him with a gleam in his eye, "I'm afraid you haven't accumulated enough leave time so that you can simply rest on your laurels in the brig."

"…Indeed, Captain," Spock had replied, somewhat at a loss. He had not expected Jim to be in such a jovial mood, especially not with him, not after what had happened down on the New Vulcan colony. "Captain, I…"

Before he could finish his sentence Jim had, much to Spock's surprise, hugged him strongly. As he did so, Jim whispered in his ear, "There's nothing to forgive."

With these words, the vicious coil of hollowness and shame that had deepened in his stomach after the _kal-if-fee_, the same hollowness that he had carried since Nyota had broken off their romantic relationship, had begun to loosen and unwind…

That is, of course, until Lori Laufeyson had set foot aboard the _Enterprise_.

Spock was startled from his thoughts when his communicator beeped shrilly.

It was Nyota.

"Commander?" She said, her usually composed voice was full of anxiety.

"Yes, Lieutenant Uhura?"

Her words made his blood run cold. "Spock! I think that something is _terribly_ wrong with the Captain. Please… Get down to sickbay. Now."

"I'm on my way, Lieutenant."

_**Meanwhile, in Asgard:**_

Thor and Odin All-father were bathed in soft golden light as they stared into the hypnotic depths of the continuum cube. As Thor watched the images in the depths of the cube float quickly past his eyes, a sudden sense of _déjà vu_ struck him. It was a curious feeling, but he didn't let it break his focus.

Odin All-father looked into the blue eyes of his son. "Thor, are you ready?"

"Yes, Father," Thor replied, gripping Mjölnir tigher.

The All-father nodded, looking somewhat pensive as he manipulated the continuum cube so that the images within it began floating progressively slower. Once the images slowed down to a complete stop, revealing the inside of a shiny vessel full of people, Odin once again turned to his oldest son. "Thor, this journey will not be easy. There will likely be danger, yes, but you are well equipped to handle any adversaries you encounter. What I fear, my son, is that you will come across certain situations that will be equally confusing and painful. When you do, all that I ask is that you forgive me and try to understand." With those cryptic words, Odin once again touched the golden cube, causing it to project a kind of doorway into the dusty air of the palace library.

Thor approached the doorway. "Good bye Father. When I return, my brother will be with me," he promised the All-father as he stepped through the portal without hesitation.

And then Thor was falling through a smothering darkness.

_**Back on the Enterprise:**_

Lieutenant Uhura was already waiting for him when Spock stepped out of the lift. "Lieutenant, report," he said as he walked briskly in the direction of Sickbay.

"Commander Scott and I had agreed to meet for dinner tonight at 2100. He is normally punctual, so when he did not show after forty-five minutes, I became worried," Uhura replied in her customary composed tone as she easily kept up with Spock's pace. The trace of alarm that had been present in her voice earlier had completely vanished. "Commander Scott had sustained some minor plasma burns in engineering today, so I thought to look for him in Sickbay. When I got there, it looked like Ensign Chekov, Lieutenant Sulu, Commander Scott, Doctor McCoy, and the Captain had been drinking rather heavily and playing cards in McCoy's office… That is, before they decided that the equivalent of a barroom brawl was in order."

"A… barroom brawl, Lieutenant?" Uhura rolled her eyes at Spock's disbelieving tone and accompanying arched eyebrow. She knew that, had Spock been human, he certainly would have asked her why she had interrupted his busy schedule with so minor a matter as fighting crewmen instead of dealing with the issue herself.

"Listen, Spock, they are all my friends. Most of us were at the Academy together. I know that on shore leave they behave as typical illogical humans, drinking too much and getting into some kind of scrape. Hell, it hasn't been quite yet a year since Scotty and Chekov drunkenly decided to pick a fight _with_ _Klingons_,and only because the Klingons had called the _Enterprise_ a garbage scow. I know that on slow missions like this one they like to get together to play cards and unwind with some of Leonard's secret stash of medicinal booze. _I_ even join them sometimes. But they most certainly do not fight _each other_, and especially not on the ship. What I witnessed earlier… I couldn't even make myself walk into Leonard's office. Something felt _wrong_. Sinister, even."

"Explain."

"Although it appeared that they were all beating each other's faces in with considerable enthusiasm, all of their movements looked… well, a bit robotic. It almost seemed as if they were not in complete control of what they were doing. And, most disconcerting of all, the new science Lieutenant, the one with the long black hair…

"Laufeyson? She was there?" Spock interrupted.

"She was standing in the middle of everything. She was not trying to stop the fighting, nor was she looking in the slightest bit concerned that the senior officers of her ship were kicking the crap out of each other. In fact, Laufeyson almost looked like she was _enjoying_ the chaos."

Spock's mouth tightened into a thin line. In their many years of friendship and brief romance, Uhura had learned to interpret that particular gesture as Spock's Vulcan non-expression of either anger or worry. Or, in this case, an expression of both?

"I take it you've already had some form of interaction with Lieutenant Laufeyson tonight?"

Spock nodded, lips pressing into a still thinner line. "Earlier this evening she was in the Captain's quarters."

"_The Captain's quarters_? What were they doing there?"

Spock turned to Uhura with a raised eyebrow. "They were merely talking after the Captain had given her a tour of the ship."

_Oh Spock_, Uhura mentally groaned with fond exasperation at her friend's last statement, the tiny hint of jealousy in his words completely apparent to the communications specialist. "No, Spock, you misunderstand me. I don't think the Captain would make inappropriate advances on a brand new crewmember. In fact, neither would a new crewmember typically make inappropriate advances on the Captain, especially not on her first day. There's too much to lose. You know the speed at which gossip spreads on a starship and how judgmental humans can be. I think that if Laufeyson made her way to the Captain's quarters mere hours after boarding the ship, she did so for a specific reason: information."

"You are suggesting that Laufeyson is a spy."

"Precisely. She could be a Klingon or a Romulan spy, cosmetically altered to look human. She is certainly tall enough."

"Or, judging from the events that you witnessed in Sickbay earlier, a cosmetically-altered Orion."

"Phermones?"

"Indeed."

Uhura sighed. "That would certainly explain the crew's behavior."

At that precise moment, Spock and Uhura reached Sickbay. Spock signaled for Uhura to stand guard outside. Nodding, Uhura readied her phaser.

Spock's senses were completely on alert as he walked through the eerily dark and quiet main Sickbay wing, slowly making his way toward McCoy's office. When he entered the Doctor's office, he noticed the telltale remains of the physical altercation that Nyota had witnessed earlier: playing cards were scattered all over the table and floor, a couple of broken bottles, and an upturned chair with a missing leg. However, in stark contrast with the surrounding mess, Commander Scott, Lieutenant Sulu, and Ensign Chekov were sitting on the remaining functional chairs in the office, placid smiles plastered on their faces. The usually gruff and vociferous Doctor McCoy was treating their scrapes and bruises with a dermal regenerator in complete silence. Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Laufeyson sat on McCoy's desk, whispering quietly but intensely to each other.

As Spock approached the two whispering individuals, the Captain looked up from his conversation with Lieutenant Laufeyson. "Spock! What are you doing here?"

"I would ask you the same thing, Captain," Spock replied. "I trust you are not injured?"

The Captain chuckled. "Not at all, Mr. Spock. I just could not sleep, so I came down to talk to Bones. Which was, as it turned out, quite lucky. I got a chance to talk to Lori about our new mission."

"Our new mission, Captain?"

"That's right, Mr. Spock," Lori replied for the Captain. Her smile was all perfect, white teeth. Spock was reminded of the aquatic Earth species _Carcharodon carcharias_, which had become extinct in the mid-21st century. "I carry orders from Starfleet Command to alter our present course…"

Spock interrupted. "I'm afraid I must object, Lieutenant. If the _Enterprise_ had been issued new orders, we would have been informed of them by Admiral Pike _via_ secure Starfleet channels."

Lori Laufeyson's eyes were an intent green laser focused on Spock. She moved from her seat on McCoy's desk and walked toward the Vulcan First Officer, never breaking eye contact. Spock felt a brief sense of disorientation, but pushed it firmly away. Laufeyson's face was only a few inches from his face when she said, an irritated expression on her face, "You see what I mean about your insubordinate First Officer, Jim? It's clear that he means to take over as Captain of your silver lady…"

Spock heard Jim sigh. Illogically, Spock expected Jim to deny Lori's ridiculous accusation. Instead, much to Spock's dismay, he heard Jim command his fellow officers, "Take him to the brig," at the same time that he heard the electric sound of a phaser. Spock felt his vision go black.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Stark Tower, New York City, July 2012**_

Tony Stark was not having a good day.

Of course, he should have predicted that his months-long streak of good luck would inevitably run out. There had been no cackling villains setting fire to the city, Stark Industries had been running smoothly, he had made huge leaps in progress on his Iron Man suit, and his romantic relationship with the beautiful red-haired Pepper Potts had been going spectacularly.

He really wasn't too surprised when everything had blown up in his face all at once.

In a misguided attempt to celebrate the twelve-month mark of their relationship, Tony Stark had been planning a romantic dinner with Pepper. Of course, he had not _quite _managed to cook said romantic meal by himself (that valiant attempt had ended in a fiery disaster, which, in retrospect, he should have taken as the omen of doom that it clearly had been). However, once he (and by _he_ Tony really meant JARVIS, his A.I. butler) had extinguished the flames, Tony had called Pepper's favorite restaurant and convinced them to deliver a magnificent spread. Tony had also lit some candles and had gotten flowers.

But, although they had had a good run, Pepper Potts had decided that the combined stress of simultaneously acting as the CEO of Stark Industries, the babysitter to irresponsible genius billionaire Tony Stark, and the perpetually worried girlfriend of Iron Man was simply too much. She had, with great sadness reflected in her eyes, informed Tony that it was best if they remained only friends. Which, in all fairness to Pepper and her sanity, was probably true.

He could still hear the clicking of Pepper's heels as she had walked away, the door shutting behind her. _I'm sorry, Tony_.

Which is how he had found himself at the very top of Stark Tower, sipping on the oldest and finest Scotch in his considerable collection of expensive booze, staring out the very same window from which Loki, Trickster God of Asgard, had enthusiastically thrown him some months back.

The very same window that, right before his eyes, was being demolished with a deafening crash by Mjölnir, the mighty hammer wrought in the fires of a dying star. Attached to Mjölnir was none other than Thor, fellow Avenger, Thunder God and Crown Prince of Asgard, older brother of Loki, and at that very moment one of Tony Stark's least favorite individuals.

"Okay, _Flash Gordon_, please explain to me why you thought it would be a good idea to fly,hammer-first, straight _through_ the window that I just replaced? You know, from when your unhinged sibling _defenestrated me_? Is ringing the doorbell somehow beneath your royal highness?"

"Man of Iron!" Thor roared, shaking shards of glass from his person, "This is no time for witty banter. I require your assistance!"

Of course, at that exact second, the polished voice of JARVIS announced that Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and thorn in Tony's side, was calling to request an assembly of the Avengers.

Tony Stark sighed, fighting off a massive migraine. He looked pointedly at Thor. "Please, please, _please _tell me your baby brother isn't acting up again."

Tony watched as Thor's broad shoulders sagged a little bit, as if an enormous weight had been placed upon them.

Tony groaned. "Seriously? Because I'm _really_ looking forward to meeting the new army of scaly, scary aliens he's bringing with him this time to try to conquer the Earth. Again."

No, Tony Stark was definitely not having a good day. In fact, he was having a remarkably terrible day.

"JARVIS, put Director Fury on the line."

_**16 Hours Earlier, Aboard the USS Enterprise:**_

Uhura sprinted away from Sickbay, the entire time muttering a stream of curses in at least twenty-six different Federation languages.

Had she not been listening from the hallway to the exchange in Sickbay between Lieutenant Laufeyson, Captain Kirk, and Commander Spock, she would never have believed… _Jim_ had shot _Spock_. His phaser had been set to stun, thank goodness, but still. _Jim had shot Spock_. Now Uhura was absolutely convinced that Lori Laufeyson was using some kind of _mind voodoo_, to borrow a phrase from Leonard McCoy, to control Jim. And Sulu. And Chekov. And Bones. And Scotty. Uhura swore in Klingon.

She felt a tiny twinge of guilt for not staying to fight, but… Nyota Uhura was no fool. If Spock, whose Vulcan heritage granted him strength three times that of the average human, had been so easily overpowered… Her chances of defeating Laufeyson and the other senior crewmembers in a physical confrontation were rather slim. So she had run, as far as her legs would take her, before the others exited Sickbay and spotted her.

Uhura would have to outsmart Lori Laufeyson at her own game… Whatever that might be.

But first she needed some questions answered.

Seconds later, she was frantically ringing the bell to Lieutenant Sol's quarters.

When the green-skinned, red-haired engineer opened the door, yawning and rubbing sleepily at her eyes, Uhura blurted, "Gaila, I need you to tell me everything about Orion pheromones."

"Buh?" Came the less-than-eloquent reply.

_**Stark Tower, New York City, July 2012**_

Less than ten minutes after Thor Odinson had crashed through Tony Stark's window, the Avengers sat around the living room in Stark Tower, listening to Director Fury's report on the most recent emergency situation.

"So, let me get this straight," said Tony Stark while massaging his temples. This whole conversation was definitely not helping his migraine. "There is a _spaceship_ approaching Earth's orbit."

"With firepower like nothing we've encountered before," added S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Natasha Romanoff, also known as the Black Widow.

"And Loki's at the helm," Steve Rogers supplied. Good old Steve. During World War II, he had fought as Captain America against the Nazis and HYDRA, the Nazi deep science division that had evolved into a terrorist organization after the fall of the Third Reich. And then, during an operation that had saved the world toward the end of the war, he had been frozen in ice for 70 years. And _then_, after he had been unfrozen, Captain Rogers had joined the Avengers to fight Loki and an army of crustacean-like aliens known as the Chitauri. For a 90-year-old man, he seemed to be taking all this in stride.

"Why the hell don't we just blow it up before it reaches us?" This last question came from S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Clint Barton, better known as Hawkeye.

"Destroying the ship is not an option," replied Fury.

"Why ever the fuck not?" Tony sounded indignant.

"Because the ship's crew is innocent," Thor said, before Director Fury could answer.

"They're headed straight for Earth with the intention of destroying us! How the hell are they innocent?" Clint argued.

"We believe that Loki may have employed some kind of mind control on important crewmembers in order to take control of the ship," Fury replied calmly, his one useful eye boring into Clint Barton meaningfully.

And if anything could deflate Hawkeye's anger, it was that. He himself had done terrible, unforgivable things while under Loki's mind control.

Tony walked to the bar to pour himself another tumbler-full of Scotch. "You mean to tell me that Loki escaped his Asgardian prison cell and then magically enslaved a ship full of aliens?"

"Actually," Nick Fury stated, looking uncharacteristically uncertain, "according to our sources, the ship's crew is mostly human."

"What?"

Instead of replying, Fury merely gestured at the God of Thunder.

Thor cleared his throat. "My brother used an Asgardian artifact called the Continuum Cube…"

"You Asgardians have an unhealthy obsession with magical cubes. First the Tesseract, now this," Tony muttered as he downed his Scotch in one gulp.

Thor continued, ignoring Tony, "Loki used the Continuum Cube to travel to the year 2261. He hijacked a Federation starship, mind-controlled a portion of the crew, and brought the ship back to this time period."

Dr. Bruce Banner had been sitting quietly in the corner, trying to remain as calm as possible, lest he accidentally unleash his green monstrous alter ego, The Hulk. Thor's last statement, however, made him finally speak up. "I'm sorry, Thor… How do you even know all of this?"

All of the Avengers turned to look at Thor.

Thor sighed, shaking his head. "That, my friends, is a long story. For now, it should be sufficient to tell you that _I was just there_."

_**15.5 Hours Earlier, Aboard the USS Enterprise:**_

Gaila's blue eyes were as wide as saucers when Uhura had finished retelling the events that had unfolded in Sickbay.

"Well, shit," the Orion engineer exclaimed.

Uhura laughed despite herself. Good old Gaila.

"And you suspect Laufeyson to be a spy?"

Uhura nodded. "A cosmetically altered Klingon or Romulan. Or perhaps an agent from the Orion Syndicate."

Gaila chuckled. "And you thought that Laufeyson could be using pheromones to control the senior crew."

"Well… yes."

Gaila shook her head. "I wouldn't put it past the Syndicate to send spies to infiltrate Starfleet, but they wouldn't be stupid enough to send a spy to a ship with an Orion crewmember. I would be able to sense the pheromones of another Orion aboard the ship."

"Oh."

"Plus," Gaila continued, "Orion pheromones aren't nearly as strong as people believe. They can certainly enhance an individual's susceptibility to suggestion, but not far enough to be able to control the individual's mind."

Uhura nodded, looking thoughtful. "So not an Orion. But still possibly a spy."

"And with the senior crew either unconscious or under her spell, Laufeyson is well on her way to being in control of the ship."

"My thoughts exactly."

"So what do we do?"

"We need to send a subspace message to Starfleet Headquarters about the situation _without_ alerting either Laufeyson or the Captain," Uhura replied solemnly. "Of course, we have to consider that there are no other Starfleet starships in the vicinity and that, if Laufeyson is indeed a spy, there may be enemy ships in the area monitoring our communications."

Gaila hummed thoughtfully. "I _may _be able to help with that. I've been tinkering with some long-range communications technology… If you give me a couple of hours, I _think_ I can tweak a communicator to send cloaked sub-space messages."

Uhura was elated. "Gaila, you're the best!" She exclaimed at the same time as she hugged the Orion engineer.

"In the meantime, we go about our duties as if there is nothing out of the ordinary," said Gaila. "Laufeyson can't know that we're on to her. Not after what you told me about what happened to Spock."

Uhura nodded. "Once we have more information, we can start working on a plan to break Laufeyson's spell on the senior crew, break Spock out of the brig…"

"…And shoot Laufeyson's wretched ass out the nearest airlock?" Gaila jokingly suggested.

"Tempting." Uhura smiled wryly.


End file.
